Is Mixed Martial Arts the new poker?

The poker craze hit a few years ago (I would say it's been within the last five years) and since then poker is on TV constantly. There was a point where it was on multiple times per day.

I got into the poker craze in about 2001, after the first time I saw Rounders. I started watching the World Series of Poker around then and have watched at least some of it every year since then. I didn't watch much of the other poker shows except when there wasn't anything else to watch.

It seems like this has tailed off a bit, since poker isn't on nearly as much as it has been (or at least I don't notice as much). But recently I have noticed Mixed Martial Arts is showing up more and more. I live in Chicago, and just peeked over the next few days on cable and there is MMA on four channels over the next few days, some of those (Vs. and Spike) multiple times. Some of this is like reality/documentary-type shows, not just fights. I estimate over the next 3 days I could conceivable record 10 hours or so of MMA-related television. That's pretty impressive.

I feelings are still mixed (some pun intended) on MMA, because it seems like the action ends too fast. The last couple of fights I saw didn't make it out of the first round and they spent most of the time on top of each other on the ground. It is cool to just watch two guys all out try to hurt someone but I am not sold on my long term interest yet.

Regardless of my personal feelings, the sport is taking off like crazy. That is evident by the number of hours that is broadcast weekly. I think poker has lost some of it's mainstream pizazz (although I know it's still popular to many to play) but Mixed Martial Arts is only to get more popular.